Victorian Valentine Gift Bag

PWA designer Michele Aiello-Zendejas has been super inspired and getting her craft on!  Here is a Victorian themed Valentine gift bag she created.

 

The products Michele used to create this gift bag are:

Swing Shift Designs To My Valentine 1 Collage Sheet, Pennywise Arts Clear Ultra Fine Micro Beads, Pennywise Arts Mega Roll O'So Sticky Tape, Spellbinders Dies, Quickutz Dies, K & Co Paper, Card Stock, Vintage Buttons, Flat Back Rhinestones, Paper Bag, Double Stick Tape, Tacky Glue, and a Martha Stewart Paper Punch.

It all adds up to a very lovely gift before you even put a gift inside!

Here is a slightly different view that shows the dry embossing on the top edge of the bag.

Have a “love”ly day!

Hugs, Suzanne

A Lovely Valentine Tag

This tag by Michele Aiello-Zendejas is loaded with layers, details and bling! 

The collage sheets that Michele creates for Pennywise Arts are top notch high resolution downloads and sharp color quality for the printed sheets.

It’s not too late to get Valentine downloads to make last minute cards from the heart!  And, be sure to scroll to our St. Patrick’s Day collection as well as our numerous Easter selections!  The collage sheet page of the website is not as organized as I would like it to be but we are working on it!  For now, consider it a treasure hunt! ;0)

Hugs, Suzanne

What’s Shakin Valentine ATC

I made this atc using a background of X’s and O’s that I printed on my color printer.  I used my Dymo labeler for the words and added purchased heart stickers.  I attempted to open the back of the larger heart to add micro beads but it didn’t cooperate and I didn’t want to ruin the sticker.  So consider this an inspirational idea of what you could do with premade shaker stickers, or even a home made heart shaker of your own!

Hugs, Suzanne

Small Fries Treat Box

Have you seen these sweet little fry boxes that McDonald’s puts in their Happy Meals?  I don’t have a kid, and rarely eat there so it was a total novelty to me when I saw it.  So stinkin’ cute!

And then I got to thinking,……..

Wouldn’t it be cool if I could get my Cricut to cut a bunch of these out for me??  Wouldn’t they make fun party favors? And so it happened!

I added some bubble beads (with Sure Tac Glue) to border the top and bottom and mimic the bubbles in the paper design.  Then I cut some hearts in varying sizes with my Cricut and stamped sentiments from an ancient Close To My Heart stamp set that I have.

I found that with a heavier cardstock they really needed to be put together with O’So Sticky Tape – nothing else held them together for longer than a minute. 

I have a little craft party coming up in a few days, I think it’s time to go into production!  Ü

Oh, and if you would like to have the svg file I’m happy to share it!  (You would need to have one of the compatible computer programs to use it).  It will cut 3 boxes from a sheet of 12 by 12 paper.  Just “contact me”!

Hugs, Suzanne

Beaded By Candle Light

At Christmastime I shared this holiday box of beaded candles:

I also meant to share who/what inspired that project and it just slipped by.  Michelle McCarthy is the original designer of this fun box and beaded candles.  Here is her design which uses leaf stamps from Stampin Up! and a colorful mixture of micro beads.

 

There are endless possibilities for this idea!  With Valentine’s just around the corner I’m thinking a romantic gift or dinner by beaded candle light!

Hugs, Suzanne

Valentine Gift Bag

On one of our play days together my friend Julie Imsland was inspired by a gift bag sample she saw on the web.  Right before my eyes in a very, very short amount of time Julie transformed a white paper sack into this darling Valentine gift/treat bag! 

Below  are her directions.  Note, the tab of the package opens at the back.

Supplies:

Small lunch sack with base of approx. 3” x 5”, I used a recycled white sack

Solid cardstock to match focal image

Focal image by SwingShift Designs: Valentine Hearts 3

Patterned Papers, two to match focal image

¼” O’so Sticky Tape

Gold Opaque Micro beads

Paper adhesive of choice (I used ATG tape)

Foam tape

Self adhesive Velcro circles

Directions:

1. Open sack completely, and then fold flat, creasing the base in the middle so the front and back of the sack base meet. See photo. (Instead of folding the sack base to one side as usual.)  



2. Measure the width of the sack front (mine was about 5 ⅛”) and cut 2 pieces of solid cardstock that width x 3 ½”. Adhere these pieces to the front and back of the sack, aligning with the bottom edge.
3. Cut down the top of the paper sack with decorative scissors next to the edge of the cardstock.
4. Cut patterned paper for the top portion of the front, ¼” smaller than the width of the solid piece x 2 ¼” high. Cut second patterned paper for the bottom portion the same width as the top x 1” high. Adhere these two papers to the solid cardstock.
5. Place a piece of ¼” O’so sticky tape along the edge where the patterned papers meet. Peel off the red liner & press tape into a dish of gold micro beads. Press beads down firmly with fingers.
6. Cut one piece of patterned paper ¼” smaller than the back cardstock. Center and adhere to cardstock.
7. Tab is a 3” x 1” strip of solid cardstock with a piece of patterned paper ¼” smaller centered and adhered. Fold tab in half and adhere one half of tab at top of the package front.
8. Cut out focal image and adhere to package front tab with foam tape.
9. Apply an adhesive Velcro dot to the other end of tab to close package at the back.

Wouldn’t these make fun party favors?

Hugs, Suzanne

Valentine Tags

Several years ago I bought this tag at a discount store.  I loved the design, the texture, the colors, everything!  I’ve used it a couple of times now as inspiration.

 

The first time was for a Christmas atc swap on the Pennywise Arts Yahoo Group.  I made 50 of them!

 

 

 

Last week I used it to jump start some Valentine tags.  My friend Julie Imsland came to craft with me so she made one too.  I always like to see the subtle differences when different people do the same project. 

 

This one is mine:

This one is Julie’s

We both used the “Roses Are Red 1” collage sheet from the Pennywise website for our rose background paper.  There are lots of gorgeous images to choose from!  I used red and gold opaque micro beads on my heart and Julie used ultra fine clear micro beads on her bird.

Now look closely at the hearts:  

The one from the purchased tag is crimped one way.
	Julie showed me that if you fold your heart in half and put it through the crimper you get lines going in two directions
If you fold it in half and put it in the crimper another way the lines will go upward.  I can’t remember which is which but one of us put the point in first and the other put the rounded end in first.

If this design inspires you too, please share a photo of what you make!  If I get it before February 7th and if I get at least 12 entries to share, I will be awarding one of my heart charms to a lucky participant!  

Use the “Contact Me” button on the blog to send an email with photo.

Hugs, Suzanne